South Africans on social media were taken aback when etv’s Scandal actor James Sithole, who plays Mdala, claimed that he spoke ten languages.Sithole said in an interview with Sunday World that his mother is Venda and his father is Tsonga. Because no one in the family could speak either language, they settled on Pedi as the primary language.
Born in Kwa-Ndebele, Mpumalanga, Sithole revealed that he never thought he would be an actor. While he was in Grade 1, he wished to become a policeman or soldier. His joining acting was rather accidental.
James Sithole said:
“I joined the youth development group as an athlete. I wanted to run, doing distances like the 100 and 200 meters, and it so happened that one day our athletics instructor was not there, so I went to the acting and music class. That is when I fell in love with acting. I immediately knew that’s where I wanted to be.”
Sithole enrolled in the South African State Theatre in Pretoria after finishing his matriculation.Because of his love for languages, he studied language practice as he had wanted to become a translator at some point in his life.
“I did language practice because I wanted to be an interpreter; it was like something I could fall back on. I used to interpret at church, so that’s the reason I wanted to learn to speak many languages. I can safely say I know all the official languages, excluding Afrikaans, and I am currently learning Swahili and sign language.”
After his schooling, Sithole moved to Mamelodi, east of Pretoria, where he further harnessed his passion for acting, producing, writing and directing at the South African State Theatre.In 2014, he then joined a 10-month performing arts programme called Triple Threat where he did drama, music and dance. Within four months of being under the programme, Sithole was cast in his first professional stage play called Hungry and he was later cast in Marikana the Musical.
“From being cast in such high plays, I remember telling myself, ‘this is where I want to be’. I then started my own company called Blankpage Entertainment where we move into the creative space. Since opening my company, I’ve never looked back,” he says.
Sithole’s perseverance has paid off with his breakthrough role in the popular television series, “Scandal!”. Despite the initial lack of mainstream attention, Sithole’s exceptional acting skills have now been recognized, propelling him into the spotlight.
However, the success of his portrayal of a villainous character has come with its own set of challenges. Some viewers have mistakenly assumed that Sithole’s on-screen persona reflects his true personality, leading to misconceptions about his real-life demeanor. Nonetheless, Sithole’s talent and dedication have ultimately triumphed, paving the way for him to showcase his versatility and earn the recognition he rightfully deserves.
